Journey out of Mt Coronet
by KyuuX
Summary: A short story about Noah, who finds himself stuck in Mt. Coronet, unable to remember how he got there nor the way out. As his memory returns to him, he finds himself wanting to know the answers more and more, eventually taking drastic measures.
1. Chapter 1

Crystal clear drops of water collided with Noah's nose, starting a chain reaction of splitting into droplets, one of which hit his eyelid. His eyes fluttered open, to see his trusted partner, Prinplup.

A blue Pokémon that stood on two three-toed feet, had blue eyes, a beak that connected with two crests that went over his head, and wings instead of arms and hands, but they couldn't be used for flying.

Noah's trainer outfit was drenched in water, and the lower half of his body was still in the water, it was Prinplup's wings that kept him from slipping back into the water.

Noah opened his mouth to thank his Pokémon for dragging him out of the lake, but all he could do was cough; he had swallowed too much water. Prinplup continued dragging his trainer out of the water, while Noah continued on coughing. When he was completely out of the water, he turned to his left and managed to cough out most of the water he had swallowed, while Prinplup speculated with a worried look.

"Thank you," Noah was gasping for air. He leaned against one of the walls of the cave and faced Prinplup. Noah could barely feel his legs, and he had to sit against the wall in order to catch his breath. "Where are we?"

Prinplup shook his head to indicate that he couldn't tell where they are either.

"How did you get out of your Pokéball?" Prinplup showed signs of obliviousness again. "I can't even remember how I got here…"

Noah scuffed his hand against his wet dark hair, sending water flying towards everything around him, including Prinplup, who wasn't annoyed by the water at all. He then reached for his belt to feel his other Pokéballs, and he could feel all of them, including Prinplup's.

Noah checked his Pokétech. "Yay waterproof," He whispered as he operated the watch strapped on his right wrist. "Oh wow, we're at Mt. Coronet!" Noah was genuinely surprised, as was Prinplup. "I'll find a way out," Noah said. "You return to your Pokéball."

Noah dispatched Prinplup's Pokéball from his belt, and attempted returning Prinplup, but it was to no avail. Upon further inspection and more tries, Noah realized that the Pokéball was broken, the insides were heavily damaged and the outer cover suffered many small dents that could easily be missed by the casual observer.

"Well, that's troublesome," Noah let out a sigh. "Guess you're going to have to walk after me until I can buy some more Pokéballs, since I don't have any empty ones."

It took him about thirty minutes to regain the feelings in his legs. Noah got up to his feet and started walking, followed by Prinplup. He has never been inside Mt. Coronet before, and he couldn't even remember how he got in here, and below the water, or what broke Prinplup's Pokéball.

Noah went back to the last thing he remembers, being handed a Badge, but he couldn't remember which one. "This really is frustrating."

His clothes were covered in dirt they gathered from the ground and walls of the cave, and he was almost completely dry of the water he was drenched in not so long ago.

Noah was a trainer from Twinleaf Town who started his journey with the typical goal of defeating the Pokémon League Champion and becoming a strong trainer. He started with Piplup, now a Prinplup, and caught some other Pokémon along his way. Completing the Pokédex was the least important of his goals, even though it was the excuse he used to start his journey.

Noah felt something pulling at his shirt, and he turned around to see Prinplup, who pointed at the lake.

"Have I been going around in circles?" Noah asked, and Prinplup nodded. "I'm sorry, I've been trying to remember how I got here."

Prinplup decided to take the lead. He grabbed Noah's hand with his wings and started walking away from the lake. He had evolved after Noah's battle with Roark. Noah's Budew managed to defeat Geodude with ease, and greatly weakened Onix before Noah decided to return her to her Pokéball and replaced her with Piplup, who knocked out both Onix and Cranidos.

The battle cause Piplup to evolve, and after one more battle with a trainer, Budew evolved as well. That day was the highlight of Noah's journey so far, unless he forgot something greater that happened.

Prinplup called out to Noah, effectively switching his attention back to his surroundings. They were in a different cave now, but the Pokétech still indicated that they were in Mt. Coronet. "We must be in a different room," Noah said. "Do you know the way out?"

Prinplup shook his head.

"We can't just go and depend on luck."

Prinplup lowered his head; he hated it when Noah got upset over the lightest of issues.

"You can't just do that!" His voice suddenly rose. "If we just go by your instinct, we may go even deeper into the cave! You haven't been here before! It was a mistake to let you lead the way! Now, follow me!"

Noah turned his back to Prinplup and started walking back to where they came from. But as frustrated as this made Prinplup, he followed his trainer without any objection.

It was when Piplup lost his first battle that Noah showed his true colors. He was a sore loser, and didn't care for anything but him winning. He only trained the Pokémon that had the most potential, and Prinplup was no exception, he came close to being released so many times, but he thankfully redeemed himself and managed to convince Noah to keep him, and since his evolution, he hasn't lost a single battle.

The same was for all of Noah's other Pokémon. If any lost two battles in a row, Noah deemed them not worthy of being in his team when he takes on the Elite 4 and the Champion.

And so he wandered, Noah was convinced that he knew which Pokémon were deserving of a spot, and which ones had no hope. He trusted his instincts in finding a way out of the cave more than he trusted Prinplup's.

This part was going to be the most critical in his journey.


	2. Chapter 2

"BubbleBeam!"

Prinplup inhaled a significant amount of air in, and held it in for a few seconds. He then opened his beak, but not fully, and shot numerous bubbles towards the defending Pokémon. The bubbles were aligned like a pillar, and were speeding towards the Graveler.

This particular Graveler was smaller than average, hinting that it only evolved recently. A Pokémon that could easily be mistaken for a rock had it lacked the four arms.

The bubbles collided with Graveler's body, popping one by one, scattering small particles of water all over the Pokémon's front, and finally, knocking it out. "Good job," Noah congratulated his Prinplup. Noah had been training Prinplup while searching for an exit. "Keep that up and I might not have to waste another Super Potion on you."

Prinplup didn't show any response, and returned to Noah's side in silence. Noah was oblivious to this, but Prinplup cared about him, he cared enough to stick around and make sure Noah achieve his goal.

Noah pushed all of his Pokémon to their limits, he trained them relentlessly, demanded they win, and in rare cases, would resort to extreme violence. He did all of this in the name of them becoming stronger.

Any Pokémon that he deemed too weak would be stored in the Pokémon Storage System, as he believed that he would eventually find some use for them aside from battling, even though he couldn't think of anything else to use Pokémon for.

Even Noah's reasons for picking his starter relied on strength in battle. He had been planning on picking Turtwig, a Pokémon that he loved, but opted for Piplup when he found out that someone who he has vowed to defeat had picked Chimchar.

Rocks, boulders, walls, and every other kind of obstacle there is in a cave surrounded them, and finding a way out soon seemed like an idea impossible to achieve.

Noah was not worried about food, as he had plenty that would last him for months; his main concern was his lack of Pokéballs. He wanted to be able to catch a Pokémon if he ever ran into a strong one that is worth a slot in his team.

He kept on walking, further and further away from the lake he found himself in, constantly trying to recall his latest memories, and the most recent memory he managed to recall is what happened shortly after defeating Roark.

He took his Badge and walked to the Pokémon Center, healed his Pokémon, and bragged about his win over Roark and his newly evolved Pokémon. After leaving the City of Energy behind him, he went back through Oreburgh Gate, which was very similar to Mt. Coronet in terms of appearance.

Then back at Route 203, a place that he always remembered as the place where Abra got away. It was peaceful area with trees and tall grass dominating it, which Noah found surprising. The fact that it was so close to Jubilife City and still managed to avoid the affect civilization has on nature was amazing.

But that was as far as he could remember. He knew that Budew evolved soon after that memory, but the details, the trainer, and the difficulty of the battle were completely blocked from his mind.

Noah's consciousness returned to the cave when Prinplup tugged at his shirt, and he saw a light in front of him. "Is that the exit?" Noah said, with hope in his voice.

He walked towards the exit faster than usual, and went through it, only to be faced by snow. The cold overwhelmed Noah, and he ran back into the cave to gather his thoughts. It took him a few minutes to put on the heavy clothes he had in his backpack, and return to face the freezing weather.

The area was just cold. The wind was settle for the most part, the snowflakes falling at a decent rate, and the vision clear just to see enough of what's in front of Noah.

"If I can recall correctly, we were very deep into Mt. Coronet," Noah said. "And very high. All this time, we were just going further into the caves. This is hopeless, we are going to die in this stupid place!"

Prinplup lowered his head. He could feel Noah's frustration, but the main reason for his gesture was that Noah once again, gave up too soon. He gave up on his own Pokémon, on their situation, and on himself too easily and too soon. And Prinplup feared that if Noah loses just one Gym battle, he would give up on his entire goal.

Prinplup followed Noah through the snow, not knowing what his plans were. "This is such a nuisance," Noah said. "I'm lost in the snow, can't remember how I got here, and even though I'm covered in heavy clothes, my heart will almost freeze, and I can't even return Prinplup to his Pokéball." He turned to face his Pokémon. "At least you're not like that annoying Bidoof, who kept making noises whenever she was out of her Pokéball. I plan on letting her rot where she is forever."

Once again, Prinplup showed no signs of reacting to Noah's words, as any kind of response could only lead in more insults. Prinplup wondered why he was still with Noah; any other Pokémon would have left him by now. He verbally abused him so many times, and resorted to violence with him two times as a Piplup. And even though he could handle this weather, Noah never considered if Prinplup was in need of any sort of cover from the cold.

In return, Prinplup had saved his life, won him many battles, and gave his all to the training that Noah forced upon all of his Pokémon. And unknown to Noah, he convinced many of his other Pokémon to not go back into the wild.

He didn't know what Noah hoped to do, what the point of going through the snow was, it would have been nice to share his plan, but Prinplup was determined to stay with Noah.

Prinplup wouldn't be able to forgive himself if Noah gave up on his dream because he decided to leave him.


	3. Chapter 3

"How about you stop being such a sore loser?" A blonde girl with striking blue eyes said to Noah. She wore a light pink scarf, and a long green gown, giving her a very colorful appearance. "If you push your Pokémon too far, they're going to get seriously injured."

Prinplup was panting, almost falling head first into the streets of Jubilife City, while the opponent, Torterra, held her ground. She was a large quadruped Pokémon, dominated by the colors green and brown, but the most astonishing feature was her shell, which seemed to have an entire ecosystem growing on it. The Torterra was bulky and great in size, almost seeming indestructible.

"Giving up is never an option," Noah bit his lips. "Only cowards give up! I don't care how far I have to go! Winning is a must!"

His dreams became memories. He was sleeping peacefully inside his small portable tent that was shaped as a dome. Prinplup had to squeeze himself in, as it wasn't designed to hold more than one human, and Noah was either kind enough to let Prinplup in, or had more important issues on his mind, and Prinplup guessed the latter.

Noah was slowly recalling his journey. The memories returned whenever he closed his eyes to sleep, or wandered off with his mind, which always led to him almost hitting inanimate objects or tripping had Prinplup not been there to save him.

A few hours later, the trek started again. Noah and Prinplup wandered in the snow once again, seemingly in a random direction. Noah's plans were highly dependant on luck, finding another trainer in these parts.

Other than remembering the battle in which Budew evolved, which was against a casual trainer, and parts of the one he had in Jubilife, Noah did the one thing that he should have done since the start. Prinplup took Noah's Badge Case out of his bag when they rested for the night.

Noah couldn't believe how idiotic it was that he would forget to check how many Badges he had obtained before getting lost in this maze that is regarded as one of Sinnoh's landmarks. He possessed the Coal, Forest, and Relic Badges, which meant that he has gone through Mt. Coronet once before. It was only a matter of finding the place he was in before, and recognize it.

But Noah was too stubborn, instead of going back from where he came, and going the opposite way until finding an exit, he opted for finding a trainer out here, and he has yet to decide what to do after he finds someone.

"Completing the Pokédex?" His mother had said to him before he started his journey. "You can't lie to me."

She was a slender woman with beautiful features. She also had hazel eyes, and dark hair, almost identical to her son's. Being a mother gave he the unique ability of detecting when her son was lying about anything, from eating unhealthy food, to getting into a fight, or even embarking on a dangerous journey with a fake goal.

"You can't lie to me," She repeated herself when Noah sat silent for more than five seconds. "You've never been interested in any research; you didn't even watch the Red Gyarados report when everyone else in Twinleaf was!"

"Fine, I lied," Noah said, frustrated. "I'm still going to go."

"Why?" Her voice started rising, and she fought back to hold her tears. "I am your mother." She paused, as to make sure that she could hold the sadness from showing. "If you leave, I'm going to be all alone!"

"This isn't about you, mom," Noah said. "Why do I have to dedicate my entire life to serve you? It's not my fault that dad is no longer here!"

"Noah," She inhaled and exhaled dramatically, and her voice returned to normal. "This isn't about me. I don't mind you traveling and chasing the dream that quite honestly, millions are chasing. I care about your safety, I care about you." She rested her hands on his shoulders, and then quickly moved them to hold his face, keeping her eyes directly on his, and placed her palms on his checks. "I love you."

Noah breathed in the same manner as his mother. "I love you too, mom," He too fought to hold his tears in. "I don't say it much, but I do."

"You can go if you want," She repeated. "This isn't about me. Even if my reasons always seem to be about me, it's only because you're a teenager, and it is natural for you not to care about your own safety. But I want you to remember one thing, whenever you're tired, whenever you need me, whenever you feel lost, come back."

Noah stopped in his tracks, and Prinplup almost crashed into him. "Go back," He muttered. "It's as easy as that. Finding someone won't help, I should go back!"

Prinplup couldn't guess what brought about this change of heart, but he was grateful for it anyway. For two days, they have been wandering in the snow, looking for a trainer, and if Prinplup could only talk, he would have told Noah to go back.

Noah's stubbornness was suddenly replaced with rational thinking, luck with logic, and Noah started going in the opposite direction, back into the caves from where he came.

"Come back," His mother had said to him. "Not knowing where to go but moving forward anyway will lead you to get even more lost. Promise me that you'll come back."

Noah knew the true meaning behind his mother's words; most trainers who choose to travel far and wide across the region rarely visit their homes, where they grew up, and where their true supporters are. "I promise," Noah said, and for the first time in years, he was genuine. "I will never forget you, mom, I won't be like all these other trainers, I will be different."

She pressed her forehead against his, and they wept in silence as they said their goodbyes.


	4. Chapter 4

The walls were too familiar. The air was too tight. Noah was trapped, he couldn't get out. Prinplup was nowhere to be found. He reached for his other Pokéballs, but he could feel nothing there but his clothes. He looked at his own body. His hands, fingers, legs, his entire body, he was young again.

Then he opened his eyes. His consciousness was starting to melt with the memories he recalled in his dreams. This particular dream was of when he would be bullied as a child by most of the other boys in Twinleaf. They would shove him into a tight space, and lock him in, and subsequently laugh at his screams for help.

Noah sighed. Memories of his childhood were pointless; he could remember them all, what he really needed was to remember how he got here. He allowed his head to fall to his right, while his body was motionless on the ground. Prinplup was swimming in the lake where this all started.

Prinplup jumped out of and back into the lake, and his body looked like an arc. Splashes of water were going up wherever Prinplup entered the lake, and some of the water would flow onto the ground of the cave. Noah was thankful that he had enough distance between him and the lake as to not get wet.

For some strange reason, the scenery of Prinplup playing in the water gave him joy, as if some gray cloud was drifting away, and the sun was made visible.

Her rays were drawn and absorbed by Torterra. "Don't make me launch my attack," She said. "I don't want to harm Prinplup."

Noah smiled, even though Prinplup was almost completely knocked out of the battle, all it required was just one more hit. "Wrong decision," Noah grinned. "Prinplup! Use Ice Beam!"

"One more attack won't win you the battle, Torterra has managed to withstand all of your attacks so far. It will take at least two more attacks to defeat her."

Prinplup mustered the strength to get back up again. His body was weak, trembling, and aching. The pain was overwhelming, but Prinplup wanted to win for Noah. He wasn't willing to be the cause of yet another trainer losing their dream.

He opened his beak and gathered all the energy he had. A tiny dot of blue light started forming in the middle of his mouth, and slowly expanded into the size of a Pokéball. Prinplup took a deep breath, causing the ball to minimize to half it's size.

And he fired. The ball expanded into a larger size than it ever was during the preparing stage of this attack, and a beam of ice that crackled like lightning tore through the air, and collided with Torterra's body.

Torterra shouldn't have lost. It was mere luck that won Noah that battle. Had Torterra fired her SolarBeam, Prinplup would have surely been crushed.

A few days after that battle, Noah had reached Floaroma Town, and by then his Starly had become a Staravia, and his Shinx a Luxio. He also deposited his Geodude and Zubat, which he deemed too weak to be in his team.

A larger splash sound brought him back to reality. Prinplup had been building up speed all along and taking higher dives into the lake. Prinplup emerged once again from under the waters, but instead of jumping out of them and going back in, he swam to the edge and exited the lake. He stood without any kind movement for a few seconds, in which the majority of water he was covered in was shed away.

"I hope you enjoyed your swim," Noah said as he got out from under his blankets in the same manner in which Prinplup left the lake. "We have a long way ahead of us."

Prinplup joined Noah's side, and after thirty minutes of trying to return the portable tent to it's holder, they were walking once again. They entered a new area, which Noah believed to be the right path.

"This is a new area," Noah stated the obvious to Prinplup. "And since we were going deeper into Mt. Coronet, this could only mean we are on our way out."

His speech seemed to be more of an assurance to himself than to Prinplup. And the Pokémon smiled when he realized it. Noah kept on walking, his pace increasing with time, until he was almost running. He was sure that the way out of this cave was going to be at the end of the road he's taking.

Prinplup had a hard time keeping up with Noah, due to Noah having longer legs, and had to resort to running behind Noah, and he only hoped that Noah didn't start running, in which case Prinplup would fall behind and be forgotten about. The idea of getting out of Mt. Coronet consumed all of Noah. There could be no mistake.

Noah's mother had proven many times that her advices always help, and every prediction she made came true. To Noah, she was flawless, the perfect mother. Her mother's intuition couldn't be wrong, and if she instructed Noah to go back, then he would. There could be no mistake.

"There could be no mistake." Noah said between breaths, and stopped.

There weren't any mistakes. The light of he exit shined in the far distance. Noah's face filled with happiness and hope, and he ran towards the exit, while Prinplup had the hardest time catching up to Noah.

He wished that Noah would stop as soon as he's through and out into the open, so that he could catch up to him and return to his side. In what seemed to be the worst time, Prinplup tripped on a ledge and rolled onto the ground, sending dust flying and causing most of his body to suffer bruises.

Prinplup mustered the strength to get back up again, and ran once again towards the light, which Noah had already disappeared into. This was the exit.

There could be no mistake.


	5. Chapter 5

There was a bridge, and far across it, another bridge. And even further, the area was dominated by grass and trees, in which wild Pokémon and trainers walked, battled, took care of berries and every other kind of normal activity. The sun shined her rays and illuminated the entire area, warmed the air, and created an aura of safety, tranquility, and peace.

"Finally," Noah was relieved, happy, ecstatic that he was out of the place he came to dread. "Route 208, I've never been happier to see you."

Prinplup was by his side, and he was happy as well, but for Noah. Seeing his trainer with such a smile on his face gave Prinplup more joy than the fact that they were out of the maze people deem to be a prized position of the Sinnoh region.

Noah walked slower than ever, treasuring every step he takes, admiring the sound of the creaking wood beneath his feet, the running river, the warming breeze, and most of all, the lack of stonewalls.

"Come back," His mother had said to him. "Not knowing where to go but moving forward anyway will lead you to get even more lost. Promise me that you'll come back."

"I promise," Noah said, and for the first time in years, he was genuine. "I will never forget you, mom, I won't be like all these other trainers, I will be different."

She pressed her forehead against his, and they wept in silence as they said their goodbyes. Their tears often blended together and dropped to the wooden floor of their home. Minutes later, she wiped away both of their tears and helped him pack to start his journey.

"Can I ask you a question?" She said while packing.

"You've already asked one," Noah chuckled. "But you can ask another, go ahead."

She straightened her back after being hunched over his bag, turned around to face her son, and her hair flew around gracefully in the process before settling. "Why do you want to defeat the Champion?" She said and crossed her arms.

Noah was taken by surprise, and he struggled to find his words. "To become strong," He said after a few awkward seconds of stuttering. "I want to be able to protect us, to protect whatever is left of our family. You and Adelpha, I want to be able to protect you two, so that no one can ever hurt us."

"Noah, you don't have to prove anything," She said. "You are strong, and you don't need to prove that to anyone."

"But I don't want anyone to hurt us ever again," Noah pleaded. "When dad did what he did, our house was torn, and that is what made Adelpha move out. He tore our family, and I want it to fix it."

There was the sound of rocks falling down, and Prinplup pulled at Noah's shirt, keeping him from falling down the hill. "Thanks," Noah said and started walking towards the stairs that were placed to his left. "Couldn't however made these stairs built them directly on the path that everyone must take to get here?" Noah muttered as he hurried towards them, and subsequently ran through the rest of Route 208.

He went through a Lookout Station that led him to Hearthome City, a beautiful city that seemed to be dedicated to looks. There was a huge dome that was intended for contests, which Noah never understood, as he deemed contests an activity that shouldn't have been invented at all, and looked at coordinators as failed trainers.

There was another attraction of not only Hearthome City, but also the entire Sinnoh region, Amity Square. It was a place where trainers can take a stroll with a Pokémon, but the only allowed Pokémon were ones deemed to be "cute" and starters, due to people thinking trainers have a special bond with their first Pokémon.

Noah hated Hearthome, the only redeeming feature in this city was the fact that it had a Gym, which he has already defeated, but the details were still absent. But in this instant, Noah was happy to see Hearthome, happier than he ever thought he would be for being in a place he detested.

His first instance was to hurry to the local Poké Mart. He barged in and quickly produced Prinplup's Pokéball.

"Welcome!" The cashier on the left said when Noah approached him. "What do you need?"

Noah ignored the cashier's unreasonable excitement to work. "I have a broken Pokéball," Noah said. "I got it with my starter less than a year ago, so I assume the warranty is still valid."

"I'd be more than happy to have a look at it," He smiled. "May I?"

Noah produced Prinplup's Pokéball and handed it to the man. He put it under his spyglass and examined it, then felt it with his hands and finally returned it to Noah, much to the latter's surprise.

"I'm afraid the damage done is not covered by the warranty," The man said. "You're going to-"

"What do you mean not covered by the warranty?" Noah was furious. "That Prinplup has been following me around for more than a week, and I need to get him into his Pokéball!"

"The damage seems intentional, it couldn't have been caused by any defect in the programming nor by any accidental physical contact. Trainers throw these Pokéball at hard surfaces all the time to send out the Pokémon inside. It couldn't have been broken by a failed capture either, because when a Pokéball is thrown at a wild Pokémon, it immediately registers the Pokémon to the Pokéball in question, and if the Pokémon breaks out the Pokéball becomes useless as it has already registered the Pokémon, who broke it while trying to break out. You said that it was Prinplup's Pokéball, which eliminated the chance of that occurrence."

Noah stared at the cashier for a few seconds, holding back the urge to punch him. "I didn't ask you for a lesson on how they work," He bit his lower lip. "Just fix it!"

"It is beyond fixing," The cashier said. "You have to buy a new Pokéball from the cashier next to me."

"Fine!"

"Please come again!"

Noah looked at the cashier. "Never," He said before taking a few steps to the right, to the cashier who was almost glued to his colleague. "Hi." He said with bitterness in his voice.

"Welcome!" The cashier said. "What do you need?"

"Did you not hear the conversation I just had?"

The cashier shook his head, and Noah sighed in frustration. But instead of repeating himself, he settled for buying a few Pokéballs with no other information given. After doing so, and catching Prinplup with a new Pokéball, he exited the Poké Mart and walked to the Pokémon Center, where he healed his party, and prepared to continue his journey towards his goal of defeating the Champion.


	6. Chapter 6

Another night. It was the same as all the others before it.

A week had passed since Noah got out of Mt. Coronet, but he was still in Hearthome City. Whenever he would close his eyes and sleep, he hoped to remember what happened to him.

But since getting out of Mt. Coronet, the memories had ceased to return to him, and his curiosity forbade him from moving on. He was desperate to find out what happened to him, as well as visit him mom, but both of these tasks would require him going through Mt. Coronet again, which he was against.

The formation of rocks mocked him from afar whenever he glanced at the horizon. Just looming there, motionless, inviting him in. The temptation was too strong, and the repercussions were too great for Noah.

This was his seventh day out, and he decided that it was time to find a cure for the state he was in. Only one thing came to his mind; battling. And his decision could not have been picked at a better time, as the person who caused him to pick Piplup was in town.

Wasaki was a dark skinned boy with short black hair, but his eyes were bright green, and contrasted with his skin perfectly. He wore a normal backpack, a pair of running shoes, a long sleeved white shirt, jeans, and a band that spelled his name on his right wrist.

Noah hated Wasaki, even though the latter has been nothing but friendly to him. He was the town's prodigy, the one that everyone had their hopes in, the one that was expected to make Twinleaf a landmark. Ever since he was a child, he excelled at everything he did, and offered help to everyone in need. There was no one in Twinleaf who hated him but Noah.

It was his newly acquired title of a Pokémon Trainer that angered Noah. Wasaki was very talented, and his Pokémon have proven countless times that they can defeat Noah's.

His long awaited rematch has begun, and his win was almost guaranteed. A week of training in Mt. Coronet would surely pay off.

"Wasaki," Noah called out as he made himself visible. "Haven't seen you in a while."

Noah couldn't even tell if he had seen Wasaki before getting lost in Mt. Coronet, but that didn't matter, the battle at hand was all that Noah could think about. The pair was standing opposite each other, with enough room in between for battling. The streets reminded Noah of Jubilife, and how he had a battle with someone whose name he can't even remember.

"Hello, Noah," Wasaki said in the most polite tone. "I'm guessing you want to battle."

"You're right," Noah grinned. "Are you ready?" Prinplup's Pokéball was in his hand.

"Let's start," Wasaki said and detached a Pokéball from his belt. "I'll start with Monferno!"

A short orange Pokémon appeared. His tail was on fire, though it was natural, and his hands were almost identical to that of a human. He stood on two legs, and had a mane of white hair around his neck. The Pokémon looked like a monkey, and he was ready to battle.

Noah sent out his Prinplup for the first time in a week, but he was as ready to serve Noah as ever.

"Mach Punch!" Wasaki said.

"BubbleBeam!" Noah responded.

Losing this battle was not an option, and Prinplup knew that. Noah had trusted him with defeating his archenemy, and he put all of his strength in his attack. In the same manner as back in Mt. Coronet, Prinplup started to exhale, but Monferno had delivered a punch that knocked him back a few steps.

Monferno's fist was glowing with a light blue color, but it faded after the attack. Prinplup gathered himself once more, and started exhaling. This time, it was faster, and the bubbles hit Monferno before he could execute Wasaki's next order.

"BubbleBeam again!" Noah ordered, despite his obliviousness to Monferno's next attack.

He wasn't surprised when Monferno delivered another Mach Punch, this time managing to knock Prinplup onto his back, who immediately got up and attacked, and the bubbles threw Monferno to the ground as well, and like Prinplup, he got up.

Prinplup stood as proudly and strong as ever, while Monferno started panting, and seemed weak. "One more attack," Noah teased Wasaki. "You're going to lose."

"Don't forget that Monferno isn't my only Pokémon," Wasaki said. "And based on our previous battles, Prinplup isn't either. I wonder if your team has changed once again."

Noah took that as an insult, as if Wasaki was mocking his abilities to keep a team, his abilities as a trainer, and ordered another BubbleBeam, which Wasaki responded to with one more Mach Punch. The process repeated itself once more, with Monferno landing his attack first, and then Prinplup launching his. It was no surprise when Monferno was knocked out, while Prinplup managed to stand his ground.

"Send out your next Pokémon," Noah said. "I'll beat it as well."

It was at this moment that Noah got flashes of his last battle with Wasaki, in which Chimchar defeated Piplup, but the memories were short, vague, and clouded. Noah tried to ignore them, and concetrate on the battle, but they kept repeating themselves.

He looked back to the battlefield, trying hard to look past these flashes that were hindering his sight and ability to think. "Are you alright?" Wasaki said, but his voice could barely be heard. "Do you want to continue?"

"I'm fine," Noah said. "Send out your next Pokémon."

Wasaki sighed. "I already did. You seem distracted, there's obviously something on your mind. I can't battle you while you're in this state."

Noah began to protest; he wanted to battle, there was no possible way for him to lose, but Wasaki had already returned his Pokémon before Noah could even identify it.

"I'll battle you whenever you're ready," Wasaki said. "I'll be here in Hearthome for a few days. I hope your mind is clear by then."

Wasaki walked away, and Noah couldn't understand why he felt like the loser when clearly he wasn't the one that had given up. He returned Prinplup to his Pokéball, and started walking in no specific direction, which helped the surge of memories clam down.

He wanted to battle Wasaki, to win, and he was sure he would have had Wasaki not backed down. Noah could only remember two of the battles he had with Wasaki, both of which ended with his loss. He looked up at Mt. Coronet, it was closer now; he must have been going in the direction that led to it, to the edge of Hearthome City. The only thing that kept apart was a fence and a herd of trees.

The flashes had ceased to attack his mind at that moment, and became one whole memory.

He couldn't believe himself. Something about being near Mt. Coronet had returned some of his memories to him. Even though he could remember parts of his battle with Wasaki, it became whole once he was near Mt. Coronet. He wondered what other memories he couldn't remember; as he was sure that he was able to recall that particular battle.

It was clear to Noah that if he wanted to remember everything, he would have to go back into Mt. Coronet.


	7. Chapter 7

Noah couldn't comprehend what he just did. He stared at his reflection in the water of the lake he woke up in a week ago. Walking back into Mt. Coronet was the most idiotic thing he could ever do, especially when he needed to move on and get his next Badge.

Prinplup's Pokéball was in his hand. Noah felt as if he must send his starter out; the area he was in was lacking without the Pokémon. He became furious at himself; needing a Pokémon was an outlandish idea, and it took him all of his willpower to send Prinplup out.

The Pokémon formed out of the white light, and shook a little to freshen his body. Echoes of his battle cry could be heard, and the cave they were in was slowly replaced by a Gym in Noah's mind.

He was battling Gardenia, and Prinplup had taken Gardenia's Roserade down with a Peck after Staravia had weakened it. She awarded him the Forest Badge and he got out of the Gym as fast as he could.

Prinplup could remember the battle as well. He had almost lost in it, but after defeating a Torterra, he was sure that a Roserade shouldn't be able to defeat him.

"We battled Wasaki after Gardenia, didn't we?" Noah said to Prinplup, trying hard to connect with the Pokémon, as it seemed to help his flow of memories. "I remember parts of it, but not all."

Prinplup nodded and smiled. This was the first time that Noah had talked directly to him without insulting him or ordering him to use an attack. To Prinplup, this is the only good thing that came out of this experience so far.

Noah tried hard to remember the complete battle, but he failed. He tried skipping to the next memory, but it was still clouded, so he returned to the battle with Wasaki. If Prinplup was able to help Noah by just his presence, his other Pokémon would surely help as well. And so, Noah grabbed his other three Pokéball and sent the rest of his team out.

Roselia was a green elegant Pokémon. Covered with a leaf, holding a blue rose in one hand, and a red in the other, she seemed like the most graceful Pokémon ever.

Beside her was Luxio, a Pokémon that stood on four legs and resembled a lion. His body was half blue and half black, with a couple of yellow rings covering the lower parts of his forelegs. His head was covered with what seemed like a black mane, and his yellow eyes were filled with determination.

His last Pokémon, Staravia, was a gray bird whose feathers formed to shape a crest on top of his head. He had a long beak and tail, which had a single metal-colored feather amongst the gray ones.

All three of the Pokémon took on a battle stance, but were surprised to see that no opponents were there to battle, as they were used to only being sent out for battle. Their battle cries and positions brought the memories flooding back through Noah's mind.

Prinplup had just defeated Chimchar, and Wasaki's next Pokémon was a Roselia.

"Prinplup, return," Noah withdrew his Pokémon and produced another Pokéball. "Staravia!"

The Pokémon flapped his wings and rose up to the sky, and awaited Noah's order. "Wing Attack!" The order came as soon as Roselia acted upon Wasaki's order.

Staravia flapped his wings once more, faster, and flew higher than before, stopping Roselia in his tracks. Staravia shrieked, and opened his wings fully. His left wing glowed a bright white color, and he descended into the ground, changing directions just before the ground attacked him, and smashing Roselia with his wing.

Roselia flew back and rolled on the ground, but not before releasing a purple blotch of liquid onto Staravia, causing him to become poisoned.

"Good job, Roselia," Wasaki said to his Pokémon. "It's only a matter of time now before we win."

Noah quickly became furious. He has lost to Wasaki twice already, and losing a third time will make him too embarrassed to even challenge Wasaki again.

"Don't become too arrogant!" Noah prepared for his next attack, while Staravia suffered a little from the poison. "Use Wing Attack!"

Staravia repeated the same steps when preparing for the attack, and the grass underneath him shook with the wind that Staravia created. Roselia acted on Wasaki's orders, and ran towards Staravia, but the latter was too high to be reached.

Roselia tried running away from Staravia when he descended, but the bird managed to hit Roselia across the back with his wing, causing the Pokémon to scream out in pain and fall to the ground.

"Two down," Noah laughed. "While my Pokémon are all still able to fight."

Wasaki returned Roselia to his Pokéball and produced another one. "I guess it's time for me to tell you not to get too arrogant," Wasaki said, and Noah's anger started to rise. "It's time for Beautifly!"

The butterfly looked even more elegant than Roselia. She had big blue eyes, small hands and legs, a long proboscis that ended in a curve, and two long antennas. But her most noticeable feature were her wings; they were a mixture of red, yellow and blue, and while flapping them, them became hypnotizing and added to the beauty of the Pokémon.

"Staravia has the type advantage," Noah laughed. "She'll be down in one attack. Wing Attack!"

Staravia repeated the process, and knocked Beautifly to the ground, but to Noah's surprise, she managed to get back up.

"Great job," Wasaki said. "Now, use Absorb!"

Beautifly took her opportunity while Staravia was close, and extended her proboscis. Staravia winced at the sting while Beautifly sucked some of his energy away.

"You won't be able to win," Noah reassured himself. "Attack her again!"

Beautifly managed to withstand another Wing Attack, and absorbed some more energy, but now she was panting, very weak, and just one more attack would surely defeat her.

But Roselia's poison kicked in once more, and this time, Staravia fell to the ground, unable to even move his wings.

"Looks like you underestimated my Pokémon," Wasaki said. "Send out your next Pokémon."


	8. Chapter 8

Staravia had been defeated, and Noah lost one Pokémon while Wasaki lost two, Roselia and Chimchar. But the battle wasn't over, and Noah believed that he could win. He must win, or else he won't be able to face Wasaki ever again.

Wasaki had two Pokémon left, while Noah had four. This just reassured him of his win, but Noah couldn't help but feel helpless. ""I'll choose Buizel!"

Buizel was an orange mammal-like Pokémon that had two tails, blue fins on the back of her arm, and a yellow ring around her neck that inflated when she needed to float.

Buizel took her battle position and let out a cry to indicate that she was ready to take on any opponent. "You've already lost a battle," Noah said. "You better win this time. Use Water Gun!"

Buizel nodded and exhaled air, ready to fire and drench her opponent, but Beautifly was faster, and managed to land an Absorb before Buizel launched her attack. The single attack managed to defeat the newly caught Buizel, and much to Noah's anger, Beautifly regained health.

"Return," Noah retreated Buizel to her Pokéball, and swore to let her rot in the PC. "Luxio, your turn, use Spark!"

Luxio didn't take any time to show off his strength, and ran straight towards Beautifly. His body started crackling, and small sparks of lighting appeared and disappeared rapidly, and as he ran, the ground beneath his paws would be burnt, and black print would remain.

Beautifly looked in horror as the beast approached her, and she attempted flying out of his way and into the air, but Luxio let out a scream and jumped, smashing his entire body against hers, and sending the both of them tumbling towards the ground.

The electricity faded away, and Luxio lifted himself up to reveal a defeated Beautifly that was soon retreated by Wasaki.

"It looks like I'm going to win," Noah grinned. "Your win streak ends here." He crossed his arms and tapped his foot, mocking Wasaki with his penetrating stares, knowing that his last Pokémon won't do him any good.

"I guess my last Pokémon will have to do all she can," Wasaki sighed and stared at his last Pokéball. "At least now she knows an attack. Go, Magikarp!"

The red fish flailed around on the dirt, her white fins knocking her to the air and then back.

"Spark," Noah laughed. "Let's finish this."

As predicted, Magikarp was defeated in a single blow. Noah laughed maniacally, as if possessed by some sort of hysterical ghost. This was his first win against Wasaki, after two losses. Had he lost, he would have given up on his goal, and returned to his home, but this win meant much more to him than he could have ever imagined.

He closed his eyes, and his consciousness returned to the cave. "I remember now," Noah said. "Had I not defeated Wasaki, I probably wouldn't be here right now."

Prinplup's smile turned to a frown; Noah has started seeing the negative side of that battle, even though the positives outweighed them. He wanted to slap Noah, and return some sense into him. That battle was the most crucial in his journey, the only one in which he wanted to prove himself, the only one in which he confirmed that he is strong enough to protect his family.

The three other Pokémon vanished into their Pokéballs, and Prinplup realized that he was next. It was his only chance to communicate with Noah outside of battle, as he clearly did not want to know what happened next.

He acted on impulse, and threw his body towards Noah's, knocking his to the ground and delivering a BubbleBeam attack at point blank. Noah coughed and raised his hands to block the attack, and as a last resort, flung his arms wildly, hoping to knock Prinplup off of him.

His arm connected with Prinplup's face, and he managed to throw Prinplup to the ground. "Are you crazy?" Noah shouted at Prinplup, who stared at him with anger. "You've gone too far!"

Noah approached his Pokémon, and delivered a punch that made it topple over. Prinplup looked up at Noah in confusion, and sadness filled his eye. He was just trying to help Noah, but it had failed. Prinplup was returned to his Pokéball, and Noah dashed towards the exit of the cave, as he had memorized his way when he came back in.

It was a matter of minutes, and Noah found himself facing a computer in the Pokémon Center. He held Prinplup's Pokéball in his hand, tightening his grip as he remembered what happened in Mt. Coronet. He didn't understand why he hesitated, but eventually, Prinplup had left his party, and stayed amongst the ranks of the other Pokémon he deemed as failures.

Noah stormed out of the Pokémon Center, causing several people to shout as they fell when he knocked them away. He ran towards the trees, and leaned against them as he sat on the grass of Route 208. The sun was setting, and Noah was facing her and she slowly disappeared behind Mt. Coronet, and he was left in the dark, staring at the formation.

For reasons unexplainable, Noah's eyes started to well up with tears. Not because he abandoned Prinplup, but because he regretted it. Without realizing it, he had formed a connection with his starter, and now that he was gone, he could feel the weight of it even more.

An emotional connection with a Pokémon. How could he? He had promised himself not to do it; they are just mere tools of battle, not friends. Noah's head was buried between his arms, and rested on his knees. He raised it, and looked through his tears.

The enterance of Mt. Coronet loomed, but it wasn't inviting; something else was. A young woman, vibrant with colors entered the cave. Noah recognized her as the one he battled and defeated in Jubilife. His curiosity rushed back to him, and against his will, his body got up and walked towards Mt. Coronet.


	9. Chapter 9

Noah had just arrived at Hearthome City, and his first instinct was to go to the Gym and get his third Badge, which he managed to accomplish easily. Fantina barely put up a challenge, and her Pokémon were all defeated by Luxio's Bite.

He was very proud of himself. Defeating Wasaki, Fantina and several other trainers without losing once was an accomplishment, as his win streaks had previously all been broken by Wasaki.

But he hadn't seen his archenemy for almost a week now, and Noah hoped that Wasaki gave up and returned to Twinleaf, giving everyone the news that Noah was the strongest trainer from the small town.

Four Pokéballs were attached to Noah's belt, and the only change that occurred to his team was getting rid of the Buizel that lost two battles in a row. And at that moment, Noah decided that he would only use these four Pokémon to take on the Champion, as training just four Pokémon will make them stronger than they would if he intended on training a team of six.

His team was strong enough to take on the next Gym with ease, and Noah felt all of his dreams, ambitions, and hopes come together. The reason for starting this journey was to become strong, and prove to everyone that he can protect his family. If he can become known across Sinnoh, then no one would dare to harm his family in the same way that his father once did, and his sister would probably return to live with them.

Noah entered the Pokémon Center, and dumped all of his Pokéballs on the counter. "Do your job," He said rudely. "Just don't lose any of them."

The nurse stared at Noah, hoping for an apology, but all she received was a wave from Noah that indicated she should go about her business. She placed the Pokéballs in the healing machine, slamming every single one of them in, still hoping for an apology, but to no avail.

Noah was too absorbed in his own thoughts to notice her. He thought about his mother, and how he promised to visit her, this certainly was about time he did so. The journey back to Twinleaf won't take long, and he'll probably have a chance to train along the way as well.

"Here are your Pokémon," The nurse returned with his four Pokéballs between her arms, but instead of handing them over to Noah, she slammed them against the counter, causing them to bounce and scatter across the Pokémon Center. "Oh, I'm sorry," She said in an innocent tone, though it was obviously forced. "Would you mind if I helped you with those?"

"Actually-"

"Have a nice day," She interrupted and gave him the fakest smile she could muster. "We hope to see you again, I really do." She turned her back to Noah before he could protest, and instead of shouting and creating a scene, he went after his Pokéballs.

He grabbed the first, and reattached it to his belt, then the second, and the third. He searched for the last one, and found it near the entrance, and as his misfortune would have it, a woman walked through the door.

She stepped on the Pokéball and was overwhelmed by the confusion of toppling back and Noah's screams at her. Her high heel had broken, and the Pokéball rolled towards Noah, who picked it up and attached it to his belt, then went to help the lady up.

"Thank you," She said as Noah pulled her up. "What just happened?"

"I'm sorry," Noah sighed. "I just-"

He stared at the lady for a few seconds, and she stared back, squinting her eyes. "We met in Jubilife!" She beamed all of the sudden and flung her eyelids open, causing Noah to jump at the sudden exclamation.

"We did," Noah grinned. "You're the lady with the Torterra. If I recall correctly, I defeated you. I should have expected running into you here, you did say you wanted to be a failed Pokémon Trainer, or what you call a Coordinator."

"We're not failed Trainers," She said with frustration in her voice. "Torterra was strong enough to evolve from a Turtwig!"

"Yet, I defeated her with a Pokémon that didn't evolve fully and had a type disadvantage against your Pokémon," Noah laughed and pushed the woman to the side, against her will. "I better get going, I have no time to deal with people like you."

She gasped when the push became more forceful, and she was entirely out of the door's way. Noah started walking, and as soon as he made his first step, she pushed his side, causing his to smash against the side of the doorframe. She gave him a smug look, picked up her broken heel, and walked away with her head held high.

"What's with all the women today?" Noah muttered, and reconsidered visiting his mother. He then looked down, and noticed a Pokéball on the ground. It was the same one that broke the Coordinator's heel, but it had suffered a small scratch across the magnetic area, which made it separate from his belt when he hit the doorframe.

Noah attached it back to his belt. The Pokéball looked normal, but as he walked, he noticed that it toppled a little bit. As a test, he stomped his foot, and as predicted, it separated.

"Great," Noah said as he reattached it. "Any sudden vibration will make it fall."

He began walking once more. After considering buying a new Pokéball for Prinplup, he decided that it would be best if he just waited till he gets to Twinleaf, and ask Professor Rowan for a new Pokéball along the way, it will be free, and nothing bad can happen between now and then.

Noah strolled the streets of Hearthome City, and reached the luscious Route 208. All along, his hand was on Prinplup's Pokéball, making sure that it wouldn't fall and possibly lead Noah to losing his strongest Pokémon. Noah eventually entered Mt. Coronet, and walked towards the other exit.

"Hey, Noah!" A familiar voice echoes through the cave, he turned back to see the Coordinator rushing towards him. She ran past him, and into the deeper parts of the cave, where she stopped and called out to him. "If you really think you're stronger than me, then battle me one last time, in the deepest parts of this cave!"

Noah was hesitant on whether he should take her offer or not, he wanted to see his mother, fulfill his promise, because there was no use in being the strongest Trainer in Sinnoh if he can't even keep a promise.

But he had also promised his mother that he would become strong, and battling would surely help him. Noah smiled, and took his steps towards the lady, slow at first, but then picking up the pace, and eventually running after her as she jogged towards what seemed like a large body of water.


	10. Chapter 10

The enterance of Mt. Coronet loomed, but it wasn't inviting; something else was. A young woman, vibrant with colors entered the cave. Noah recognized her as the one he battled and defeated in Jubilife. His curiosity rushed back to him, and against his will, his body got up and walked towards Mt. Coronet.

There was a sudden flash of memories that invaded his mind as soon as the woman's face was visible. She had turned around for a split second to observe the sky that was darkening, but it was enough to remind Noah of all that had happened in Hearthome when he first arrived here.

He was more determined than ever, this woman must have played a major part in his journey, or else he wouldn't have such a great recollection of memories. He went on, rushing towards the entrance, desperate as to not lose sight of the woman. But with every step he took, he regretted leaving Prinplup even more. This was the most crucial part of his experience, and as much as he hated to admit it to himself, Prinplup was important to him.

The fact that he can't go back and retrieve it without risking losing track of this mysterious woman made his heart sink, and he felt as if his entire body was missing an important part, the same feeling he had when his sister moved out.

The darkness of the cave overtook the scene when Noah entered Mt. Coronet, and he managed to catch a glimpse of the colorful human as she turned around a corner. It was like a staged chase scene, every turn he took, he would only catch a glance. Noah followed her through twists and turns all too familiar for him, and it didn't take long for him to guess where she was heading.

The lake, this was surely coming to an end. He could remember following her to the lake a week ago, she was without a doubt connected to all of this. The lady was sitting on her, her dress was dirty, and her eyes were searching the waters.

Noah approached her, as silently as he could, and was soon standing over her. His reflection appeared in the water above hers, and her face changed expressions from worry to surprise. She reached out and splashed the water, before realizing that Noah was behind her.

She got up and turned around. Her hands moved to cover her mouth, and to muffle a gasp. "Noah," She uttered with complete weakness, and in an act that surprised Noah, threw her arms around him, and held him in a tight embrace. "I'm so glad you're well."

Noah could feel her tears flooding out of her eyes and spilling into his shirt. He was confused, and without thinking, he raised his right arm, and patted her back with it. Noah searched for words, but couldn't find any; they were all lost, as if he had never even to speak.

The woman cried even more, and her sobbing became hysterical. Her arms tightened, and Noah felt her legs trembling, almost giving away. "I-" His voice cracked, not knowing what to say. "I don't know-"

This was surely not what Noah had expected. A tearful hug filled with confusion and emotion from a Coordinator, when his expectations had been completely outlandish, and completely irrelevant to his situation.

"Would you-" He tried to speak once more, but his voice was refusing to come out of his mouth. "Tell me-" He took in a large amount of air, and exhaled. "Would you mind telling me what happened?"

The crying slowed down, and the lady broke their embrace. She started wiping her tears away, and struggled to breath regularly. "You don't?" She said in such a weak voice that wouldn't have been heard by Noah had they not were in a secluded area. "Don't remember?"

"No," Noah said, his hands rested on her shoulders, and his eyes met hers when he lowered himself a few centimeters. "I don't remember anything from the point of which I followed you to this lake." His hands tightened a little. "Please, I beg you, tell you what happened."

She raised her arms, and they entwined with Noah's. She then proceeded to lower the both of them to the ground, and soon they were sitting on the dirt, looking into each other's eyes. "You must think I'm crazy," She let out a weak laugh. "You can't even re-"

"No," Noah pleaded. "You're not crazy. Please just tell me."

"I will," She said. "But please wait for me to finish my story." She breathed for a few seconds, and wiped away more tears. "And I hope that you can forgive me."

Noah's expectations shifted once more. What she said implied that it was her fault, that this all happened because of her. Noah felt weak. His arms dropped from her shoulders, and rested by his sides after they fell and got dragged across the ground of the cave.

His world suddenly changed in a matter of minutes. He wanted Prinplup to be here; he had an emotional connection with the Pokémon. A Coordinator just implied that he got stuck in Mt. Coronet because of her, and the last thing he could remember was chasing her to battle. It was highly likeable that she had defeated him.

This whole experience has proven that collecting Badges wasn't his top priority; he ignored it for a week, even when he the chance to go on. Noah found himself overcome with a sense of shattering as soon as she asked for his forgiveness.

"Just tell me," Noah sighed. "I will forgive you, I promise. There is nothing you did that could be as bad as what I had expected." His voice started breaking, and his eyes welled up with tears. "Please, don't make me wait any longer. I want to know what happened to me, there is nothing I want right now more than you telling me what happened. Please, I'll do anything."


	11. Chapter 11

Noah was hesitant on whether he should take her offer or not, he wanted to see his mother, fulfill his promise, because there was no use in being the strongest Trainer in Sinnoh if he can't even keep a promise.

But he had also promised his mother that he would become strong, and battling would surely help him. Noah smiled, and took his steps towards the lady, slow at first, but then picking up the pace, and eventually running after her as she jogged towards what seemed like a large body of water.

"Why do we have to battle so far away from the entrance?" Noah shouted after the Coordinator.

She stopped and turned around, almost causing Noah to smash into her. He managed to stop himself in time, but the sudden shift in movement caused Prinplup's Pokéball to detach itself and roll to the lake. It bounced towards the water, and Noah grabbed just before it drowned.

He then straightened himself, and looked at the Coordinator, who held a Pokéball in her hand. The lake was behind him, his opponent in front of him, and a distance for battling between them, in which Torterra appeared.

She stomped one of her feet, to indicate that she was ready for the battle. Noah grinned and sent out his Prinplup, momentarily forgetting that his Pokéball was broken, which made it stay on the battlefield instead of returning to Noah.

"Prinplup," Noah started. "Use Metal Claw!"

Prinplup nodded and prepared for his attack, but Torterra managed to land a hit first. She carried her entire body across the battlefield, and smashed it into Prinplup's, causing the Pokémon to fall back in pain, but not before clawing at Torterra with his shinning gray wing. The large Pokémon winced and closed one eye for a few seconds, which Prinplup used to get back up and create a space between them.

"Use it again!" Noah shouted with all his might, even though Prinplup was within hearing distance.

Torterra ran forwards based on her trainer's order, and rammed her head against Prinplup once more, but accidently stepped on Prinplup's Pokéball. She lost her balance, and tipped to her left. Her entire body crashed violently onto the wall of the cave, causing the entire area to shake violently.

The Pokéball rolled back towards Noah, who lost his balance and fell down, and due to the exposed magnet, it attached itself to Noah's belt. "What are you doing?" He yelled as he got up, trying hard to keep his footing. The coordinator was holding on to the wall, and like Noah, was attempting to stand still.

She looked around in horror, and realized that rocks were falling from the ceiling. She retrieved Torterra into her Pokéball and shouted at Noah to run as she did so herself.

Noah searched the floor, trying to find Prinplup's Pokéball. The Pokémon was unconscious on the ground, knocked out by Torterra's last Tackle, but his body was still struggling to move. "Get up!" Noah shouted at the Pokémon and attempted running out of the area.

Prinplup opened his eyes and lifted half of hi body up before he screamed at Noah while pointing towards the ceiling. Noah looked up and saw a rock rushing towards him. There was a sudden shock of pain, followed by a loss of balance and a splash, and then everything went dark.

"Come back," His mother had said to him. "Not knowing where to go but moving forward anyway will lead you to get even more lost. Promise me that you'll come back."

Crystal clear drops of water collided with Noah's nose, starting a chain reaction of splitting into droplets, one of which hit his eyelid. His eyes fluttered open, to see his trusted partner, Prinplup.

"I don't know what happened to you after I ran away," The woman sopped and broke Noah's rush of memories. "I thought you might have… And I returned to the cave after a few minutes to search for you. I've been searching for you for an entire week, even in the areas around Mt. Coronet."

Noah smiled; he had finally completed the sequence of events that led him to come to this place. "I don't hold you responsible," Noah said. "It's my fault, I was wrong."

"What do you mean?"

"I've never been proven wrong before," Noah said. "I doubted that you would ever be able to defeat me, because you are a coordinator, but Torterra did defeat Prinplup. It is not your fault, you weren't the cause of what happened; I was."

"This means so much to me," She laughed and cried at the same time. "Thank you."

"There is still one thing," Noah said. "I can't remember your name."

"It's Wendell." She said while wiping away her tears. There were a few moments of silence, in which Noah thought about all of what this experience brought. His whole vision of the world was changed. Pokémon who were once tools of war became friends. Wendell proved that coordinators could be good trainers as well, and he realized that collecting Gym Badges wasn't the most important thing in his journey.

"Where were you the past week, while I've been searching for you?" Wendell asked.

"I was in Mt. Coronet for a few days," Noah said. "I got out and stayed in Hearthome for a week, because I couldn't remember how I got here, and I couldn't move on without knowing; my curiosity got the best of me."

"Let's get out of here," Wendell sighed and looked around. "This place is giving me bad memories, and I don't want to remember the thought of me causing your…"

Wendell seemed unable to say the word death, as if uttering it would actually kill her. But Noah didn't mind; he couldn't see any issue with that. "Very well then," He said as he got up and offered a hand to Wendell. "Let's get out of here."

With each step, Noah remembered the steps he took when he got lost here, and the path became obvious now that he had gone through it so many times. Wendell followed close behind him, and occasionally let out a sigh.

Then he stopped. To his left was the exit that will take him back to Hearthome, where Prinplup and the next of his Badges await. But to the right was another exit, one that would lead him all the way back to Twinleaf, where he can visit his mother.

He wanted to finish his quest and collect the rest of the Sinnoh Badges, gain access to the Elite 4, and challenge the Champion, but it wasn't as important as before. Prinplup on the other hand was, but so was his mother.

Noah head turned between the two exits, and he thought deeply about which path to take. Should he continue with his quest, and prove that he was strong? Or should he go back to his mother, who was left all alone in Twinleaf?

Wendell noticed Noah's confusion, and reached her hand out to him, to put it on his shoulder.

"Which exit are you going to take?"


End file.
